Iran is often seen as an Islamic power guided by religious solidarity, but Brenda Shaffer argues its policy toward the Caucasus and Central Asia tells a different story.
With more than half its borders and a third of its population tied to these regions, Iran acts on pragmatic self-interest, not faith, as shown by its military backing of Christian Armenia over Shia Azerbaijan during the 2020 war.
She breaks down the five factors, security, ethnic unrest, Turkey and Russia, transit routes, and economics, that actually drive Tehran’s calculus.
